The federal government frequently enacts legislative directives that require the states to
perform regulatory tasks at their own expense. These laws are often referred to as
A.conditional legislation.
B.unrestrained regulation.
C.unfunded mandates.
D.load sharing.
E.accountability.
In the United States a candidate for a congressional seat wins a plurality of the votes but
not a majority, however, the candidate still wins the seat. This process is referred to as
A.proportional representation.
B.winner-takes-all.
C.district voting.
D.clean sweep theory.
E.constitutional apportionment.
Which of the following characteristics is NOT one of the considerations that a president
normally uses when selecting a nominee for an open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court?
A.the nominee’s ideological and policy preferences
B.the nominee’s judicial competence
C.the nominee’s experience as a trial lawyer
D.demographic considerations such as race or gender of the nominee
E.the current political environment
Economic regulation includes regulation of
A.business.
B.health care.
C.income security.
D.poverty.
E.education.
Which of the following is the most basic role of the media in the U.S.?
A.criticizing the American government
B.providing advertising opportunities for political candidates
C.monitoring and communicating about events around the nation and world
D.stirring public debate and gathering public opinion
E.serving as an advocate and supporter of the government’s programs
Why would fiscal disparities among states be considered a disadvantage of federalism?
A.Poorer states benefit more from federal and state programs while paying less in taxes
for the services, thus creating inequities for wealthier citizens.
B.The cost of living differs in each state.
C.The tax rate differs in each state.
D.States with lower average incomes have far less ability to tax citizens, while these
poorer citizens have more unmet needs.
E.Fiscal disparities have no bearing on federalism since the government has the power
to tax.
Which of the following is the most common current probability method for creating a
scientific poll by assigning the last four digits of a phone number in no particular order?
A.random-access polling
B.random-digit dialing
C.non-scientific polling
D.telemarketing
E.speed dialing
One reason why interest groups are appealing is that they offer purposive benefits of
membership, which are the rewards that benefit society as a whole rather than the
individual directly. Which of the following is an example of a group largely driven by
purposive benefits?
A.Sierra Club
B.American Medical Association (AMA)
C.National Education Association (NEA)
D.National Rifle Association (NRA)
E.AFL-CIO
Members of Congress often secure federal funds through a process of amending
pending legislation. Their goal is to support specific projects for their states and districts
that will yield jobs, benefits, or other opportunities for a particular region. This
procedure is often referred to as
A.patronage.
B.casework.
C.lobbying.
D.congressional oversight.
E.pork-barrel legislation.
Which federal regulatory agency was created in 1914 with the authority to implement
rules and regulations that encourage competition in industry?
A.Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
B.Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
C.Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
D.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
E.Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Before the Constitution was amended to guarantee all women in the United States the
right to vote, there were already some women who were allowed to vote. How did this
happen?
A.Years after the fact, it was learned that women had posed as men to enter the polling
places.
B.These particular women were soldiers.
C.Several states had given women the right to vote even before the U.S. Constitution
was amended requiring all states to grant this right.
D.Certain women were allowed to vote only in local school board elections.
E.The U.S. Supreme Court granted this right.
What is voter turnout like in states with Election Day voter registration?
A.Turnout in these states is considerably lower.
B.Turnout in these states is slightly lower.
C.Turnout in these states is about equal to turnout in other states.
D.Turnout in these states is higher.
E.There is no relationship between voter turnout and Election Day voter registration.
Who or what was “Deep Throat”?
A.the FBI code name for an investigation of corrupt newspaper editors in the 1970s
B.an adult film of the 1970s that was used as a test case for protection of pornography
as free speech under the First Amendment
C.an Al Qaeda operative who was exposed after an undercover investigation by a major
media alliance
D.a confidential informant who gave information to Washington Post reporters and
eventually helped break the Watergate investigation in the 1970s
E.an investigation that delved deeply into the corrupt side of the media and its control
by the government
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve
A.terms of two years.
B.terms of four years.
C.terms of six years.
D.lifetime appointments.
E.staggered terms.
Which Fifth Amendment protection prohibits a defendant who has been tried and found
not guilty from ever being tried again for same crime?
A.protection against double jeopardy
B.protection from self-incrimination
C.plea bargain
D.negotiated plea
E.right to a speedy trial
The right of citizens to form interest groups and petition the government is protected by
A.the First Amendment.
B.the Fourth Amendment.
C.the supremacy clause.
D.the interstate commerce clause.
E.the Interest Group Formation Act of 1845.
Representative democracy is a form of indirect democracy that is also commonly
referred to as
A.a republican form of government.
B.a monarchy.
C.tyranny.
D.Greek democracy.
E.theocracy.
The last high-profile recall election that was successful occurred in
A.California in 2003.
B.North Dakota in 1921.
C.Texas in 1903.
D.California in 1930.
E.Ohio in 1970.
The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) explicitly called for
A.soft money.
B.527 groups.
C.disclosure requirements.
D.full public financing of all campaigns.
E.partial public financing of congressional campaigns.
How is the final approval authorized when admitting new states into the United States?
A.Each branch (executive, legislative, and judicial) must give its approval to the new
state.
B.All existing state governments must vote to support the new state.
C.The American people must hold a vote to approve the admission of a new state.
D.There is no approval on the receiving side, only the potential state must vote to be
admitted.
E.After the potential state sets up a proper governmental structure, Congress simply
passes a bill that needs the usual presidential signature.
When the Congress exercises power given to it under Article I, the federal law it creates
may supersede a state law. This process is known as
A.federal abuse of power.
B.unconstitutional action.
C.the doctrine of preemption.
D.the doctrine of fair business practice.
E.judicial review.
In ________, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment entitles candidates to
spend as much of their own money on their campaigns as they want to.
A.McConnell v. Federal Election Commission
B.Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life
C.Robert v. Friedenberg
D.Bush v. Gore
E.Buckley v. Valeo
Why is it essential that the media operate free of government control?
A.The government has no expertise in media management.
B.The government is incapable of providing media coverage.
C.This is the only way in which the media can be truly objective in its reporting and
coverage.
D.Private interests are always more honest and objective than those of the government.
E.Profits from the media industry belong in the private sector.
Which of the following is NOT an issue that individual states have grappled with
separately from the federal government?
A.legalization of marijuana
B.right to die
C.same-sex marriage
D.military draft
E.teaching of creationism in public schools
Which of the following is NOT a category of the federal government’s discretionary
spending?
A.military
B.roads
C.education
D.social security benefits
E.law enforcement
One of the common reason Americans report for not voting is
A.they don”t feel smart enough.
B.they just don”t care.
C.they don”t have time.
D.they have a felony conviction.
E.none of the above.
In the t35 years from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the twentieth century,
how many African Americans served in the U.S. House of Representatives?
A.0
B.5
C.9
D.22
E.45
President Theodore Roosevelt learned first-hand how social change and lawmaking
often moves at a glacial pace during his term from 1901-1909. Roosevelt made several
societal policy changes that resulted from battles with Congress. Which of the
following is one of Roosevelt’s legacies?
A.He modernized the military and was the first administration to deploy troops in
foreign countries.
B.He joined forces with large corporations as their advocate to improve worker wages
and safety.
C.He created vast reserves of wilderness in national parks and national forests.
D.He implemented the first government regulations to prevent water pollution and
preserve water resources.
E.He implemented Medicare and social security benefits as a societal safety net for the
elderly.
Who was the first presidential candidate elected as the nominee of a party?
A.Thomas Jefferson
B.John Quincy Adams
C.Andrew Jackson
D.Alexander Hamilton
E.Martin Van Buren
Gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress is provided by
A.CNN.
B.MSNBC.
C.C-SPAN.
D.PBS.
E.NPR.
The strongest third-party campaign for president took place during the 1912 election,
which resulted in the third-party candidate receiving the second place and gaining more
votes than one of the major party candidates. Who was this third-party candidate and
his party?
A.Robert LaFollette/Socialist
B.Strom Thurmond/States’ Rights
C.George Wallace/Independent
D.Theodore Roosevelt/Bull Moose
E.Eugene V. Debs/Progressive
Americans often hear the metaphor of a “wall of separation between church and state”
when referring to the First Amendment’s right to freedom of religion. When was this
metaphor first used?
A.In the 1960s, by the Supreme Court when it became increasingly liberal and turned
on “the church”
B.In the second half of the twentieth century, when atheists began to influence Congress
C.During the Civil War, when religious groups demanded protection from government
abuses
D.In 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson, based in part on his fear of a national and
official church
E.Several thousand years ago, as a biblically based standard